2050 is Now: a FABLE Serious Game

"2050 is Now: a FABLE Serious Game" is a collaborative strategy game where players step into the roles of government ministers to shape the future of their country’s food and land-use systems. Inspired by real-world challenges and data, the game allows players to explore the complex trade-offs and synergies involved in designing sustainable policies.

It is the year 2025, and your country stands at a crossroads.
Population is growing, natural ecosystems are under pressure, diets are evolving, and the planet is warming. As decision-makers, your task is to guide your country toward a resilient, equitable, and sustainable 2050.

Each player takes on the role of a minister within a national cabinet.
While each minister advocates for their sector’s priorities, you must collaborate to design integrated policy packages. Your decisions will shape outcomes across land use, food security, biodiversity, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and public health.

Over multiple rounds, your team will implement policies, striving to meet national sustainability targets while managing trade-offs. Promoting a crop may reduce hunger, but it may emit higher GHG emissions. Reforesting land may boost biodiversity but limit agricultural production. Every action has consequences.

You will play using a “2050 is Now” version of the FABLE Calculator, which simulates the impact of your choices and shows whether your policies bring the country closer to its long-term goals.

Will your team lead the country to sustainability, or fall short under pressure?
The future is in your hands.

Resources and Materials
This Zenodo repository contains all the materials needed to organize and run a “2050 is Now: a FABLE Serious Game” session. It includes detailed guidance on how to set up and facilitate the game, as well as the rules, supporting documents, and practical instructions required for adapting it to your country context. These resources are designed to help organizers replicate the game in different contexts, ensuring an engaging experience for participants.


Acknowledgements
We thank all participants who played, tested and enjoyed this FABLE Serious Game and shared valuable feedback and ideas during several workshops and meetings: the 16th FABLE Consortium Meeting in Istanbul (June 2025), the Paris Climate & Nature Week at SciencesPo (October 2025), the CHOICE workshop in Paris (November 2025), and the Modelling Pathways for a Sustainable and Agroecological Transition of Food Systems in Africa (MoSAFS) workshop in Maputo (December 2025).

This Serious Game was developed through the FABLE Consortium initiative and funded with the support of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and of CHOICE – Horizon Europe.